The Colosseum on the 37th floor had been reduced to nothing more than a wasteland.
Judas and Olivas moved at terrifying speeds, their figures flickering across the battlefield, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.
BOOM
BOOM
With every clash, violent shockwaves erupted, sending nearby monsters flying... some were blown apart, others simply evaporated from the sheer force.
But the one who clearly held the upper hand was...
Judas Spade.
'As I thought... there is a dissonance between his body and mind. The same side effect that occurs after an adventurer levels up... and he has yet to properly control his strength.'
'Otherwise... he would be much more difficult to deal with.'
He thought as his figure blurred, dodging a massive boulder hurled in his direction by Olivas.
『Light Cannon』
A beam of light fired from his palm.
Sensing the danger, Olivas twisted his body and narrowly avoided the attack.
But in the very next instant...
Judas appeared right in front of him.
Without giving him time to react, Judas drove a powerful kick straight into his stomach.
The impact launched Olivas upward, sending him crashing through the hole in the ceiling above.
Judas tilted his head up...
Then flew after him without hesitation.
...
Revis instinctively understood that her defeat here was becoming a real possibility.
She was struggling to keep up with their combined assault.
However, instead of getting angry, she took a deep breath and calmed her mind.
'There is no point in continuing to fight these adventurers.'
'I would like to kill more of them... but that is going to be difficult.'
She reined in her killing intent as she recalled her original goal.
'That's right... the jewel fetus that we nurtured here... I must get it back.'
That was the reason why the 24th floor had reacted abnormally. They needed to provide nutrients to grow another jewel fetus after the previous one had been lost during their last confrontation with the Loki Familia.
She had originally planned to kill everyone here before retrieving the jewel.
But now... she had changed her mind.
Her gaze briefly landed on Alise's bag before she launched herself forward.
The sudden shift in Revis' movements caught Asfi and the others off guard.
She had completely abandoned any form of defense and charged straight toward Alise.
It was then that they immediately realized what she was after.
"She's after the jewel! Alise, be careful!"
Asfi commanded as she flew through the air with her Talaria wings.
Everyone quickly adjusted, attacking Revis from all directions.
However, she ignored them entirely.
Whether it was Kaguya slashing at her, Bete stabbing into her, or Lefiya bombarding her with magic... she endured it all with her naturally durable body.
Of course, it wasn't as if she escaped unscathed. The damage gradually accumulated, and waves of pain detonated throughout her body.
Despite being covered in injuries that would have made anyone scream in agony, Revis merely let out a low grunt, her gaze never leaving Alise.
"Now that I see you up close... you do look a little like me."
Alise said, somehow managing a grin even now as she reached into her bag.
"Though I'm clearly the prettier one, of course."
She pulled out the jewel fetus and tossed it into the air.
Caught off guard by this, Revis halted mid-step and raised her head...
Only to see Asfi flying past and catching the item in her hands.
"Got it!"
Asfi exclaimed before immediately flying away.
Revis blinked once... then twice.
Her eyes twitched.
"You...!"
She could practically feel her blood pressure spike.
Her attention locked onto Asfi's retreating figure as she prepared to give chase.
But in that brief moment of distraction, her guard dropped.
And someone took advantage of it.
A feminine voice reached her ears as Kaguya appeared behind her and sliced off her arm.
"That's payback for earlier... you red-haired bitch."
Kaguya said coldly, a faint smile on her lips.
...
Meanwhile, Asfi flew toward the pantry's exit.
'With Vanargand joining the fight, they should be able to handle Revis even without me.'
'For now, I need to retreat with this item.'
She thought as she held the jewel fetus in her palm, inspecting it closely.
But suddenly...
A wall made of plant flesh rose up and blocked her path.
'Huh?'
Asfi came to an abrupt stop.
"What is going on?"
As if answering her question, the ground beneath her exploded as plant monsters burst out and lunged toward her.
"Violas!?"
Her eyes widened in shock as she quickly maneuvered to avoid their massive jaws snapping at her.
Weaving left and right, she did her best to evade them...
But one of the Violas' vines lashed out, striking her arm with a sharp, whip-like crack.
The impact forced her to release the jewel.
"Oh no..."
Realizing her mistake, Asfi reached out to grab it.
But the surrounding Violas closing in made it nearly impossible.
Then...
A blur flashed past.
And the orb was gone.
"What...? They still have allies?"
Adjusting her glasses, Asfi stared at the masked individual now standing before her, cloaked entirely in black.
She couldn't even tell if the figure was a man or a woman.
'Did this person wait at the pantry entrance this whole time...?'
Revis, who had witnessed everything, immediately shouted.
"Ein... it's not complete yet, but it's grown enough! Take it to Enyo!"
The mysterious figure... now identified as Ein... gave a slight nod before turning to leave.
"Oh no you don't!"
Asfi moved to pursue, but Ein simply raised a hand and commanded the Violas to attack.
"Are you kidding me...? That person can control them too?"
With an army of plant monsters blocking her path, Asfi could do nothing but watch as the masked figure disappeared into the shadows... the jewel fetus in hand.
"Alise... everyone... I'm sorry."
Asfi said as she retreated, the Violas continuing to pursue her.
"It's alright, Asfi. As long as we take down at least one of Evilus' executives, this entire trip will be worth it."
Alise replied, raising her sword.
"Hah... you adventurers really think that will be easy?"
Revis sneered, her eyes sweeping over the remaining Violas that Ein had brought.
'Even with one arm missing... this will be enough to turn things around.'
She was just about to take control of them...
When suddenly...
The ground beneath the entire army exploded.
The Violas shrieked in agony before bursting apart all at once, their plant-like remains scattering in every direction as a thick cloud of dust rose into the air.
Everyone turned their heads as two figures emerged from within the dust.
Judas...
Holding Olivas by the throat.
It didn't take much thought to understand what had happened.
"Judas!"
"He did it!"
Both of them, however, were in rough condition.
Judas' clothes were torn in several places, cuts and bruises visible across his arms and torso.
A thin trail of blood ran down the side of his face from a gash above his brow.
But Olivas was far worse.
His body was battered... no, he barely looked human anymore.
His form had become unrecognizable... a mass of flesh bubbling and shifting beneath his skin, as if something inside was trying to break free.
Dark, swollen veins spread across nearly every inch of his body, pulsing with a sick, uneven light.
Parts of his skin had split open... revealing something black, glistening... and still moving.
The stench coming from him was rancid.
His mouth hung open as broken, incoherent sounds spilled out between labored breaths... fragments of words that no longer formed any real meaning.
Whatever sanity Olivas once possessed was hanging by a thread.
"...kill... all of... hahaha... I can still... the power... it's still..."
He muttered, his cracked lips curling into a grin that no longer held even a trace of reason.
A hollow laugh bubbled up from deep within his chest.
Judas stared at him in silence, his grip firm and unwavering.
'He's already gone...'
His purple eyes scanned the ruined figure without a hint of pity.
'Like a failed experiment.'
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